


Great Scott, Barry!

by darling_pet



Category: The Flash (TV 2014), The Flash - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Back to the Future References, Disrupted Timelines, F/M, Reader-Insert, Relationship(s), Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-04
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-08-19 13:34:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8210458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darling_pet/pseuds/darling_pet
Summary: When you, the Reader, first met Barry Allen, you had no idea you'd both be whisked to the past and accidentally disrupt the timeline. Now you two must do everything in your power to right your wrongs and get back to the future.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In honour of The Flash S3 premiere tonight, here's something I've started working on. It will combine a few of my favourite things: Barry Allen, time travel, and BTTF references.

Central City is truly one of the most breathtaking cities you've seen in your life. What with its sleek and towering buildings and the clean and bustling streets. Without a doubt, it puts your former, much smaller, home of Hazel City to shame. And although the past few days here have had you in an unpacking frenzy around your new apartment, you are now finally enjoying a few of the Central City sights before heading off to your new job.

You come across a very stylish cafe downtown called Jitters and decide to try out one of their coffees. A much needed coffee, at that. When the barista calls out your order at the pickup counter, you notice your name is actually spelled correctly on the cup. That never happens! Take that, Starbucks!

Mmm, the smell of a freshly made brew. Heavenly. You take your drink with you and head out the door, but when you go to take your first sip, a hasty, brutish stranger in a parka accidentally knocks into you and keeps going. A gasp leaves you and, starting to fall backward, you brace yourself for the horrible mess, scalding burns, and total waste of money.

But it never comes. When you finally open your eyes, your can't help but stare...

The most gorgeous man you have ever laid eyes on is both holding you steady _and_ your unspilled Jitters coffee. Fear and worry spread across his face. His _beautiful_ face. The man's soft eyes search for your reaction, to see if you're alright.

“Are you okay?” he asks, voice thick with concern.

“I-I...” you stammer. “Yes, I'm fine. How could I ever thank you-”

“Oh no, no need to thank me, really,” he says. “It was just good timing and good luck.” Wow, you'd certainly say so!

“The best luck,” you say breathlessly. His hand is still planted on your back. Your handsome saviour seems to only just notice this now too, because he takes it away and it shoots to his neck in embarrassment. He hands you back your coffee. You share a shy smile with him, shuffling your feet and finding it hard to meet his eyes. But in avoiding his, you spot the time off the clock tower from above.

“Oh no!”

“What is it?”

“I'm going to be late for my new job! I have to go!” You rush past him, but not before turning back and yelling, “Thank you, you're my hero!”

 

*

 

Ugh, thank goodness you made it in time. You had high-tailed it to Central City Picture News from Jitters with only a minute to spare. Scott Evans, the paper's editor-in-chief, your new boss, welcomes you and notes your “precise” timing. He then makes a short announcement to the rest of the team, introducing you.

“Everyone, this is (Y/N), our new movie reviewer from Hazel City. Please make her feel at home here.” The journalists give you a small, happy applause and go back to their work. Scott shows you to your new workspace and tells you to make yourself at home. He also says he'd like one of your reviews by midnight Wednesday, so you mentally file away that deadline under “To-Do.”

Your desk is right across from a stunning darker skinned woman. (God, what was it with this city and its drop dead gorgeous citizens?).

“(Y/n), was it?” She leans across the desk to shake your hand. “It's so awesome to have you on our team. I'm Iris.”

“Hi, Iris. Wait, Iris _West_? You're the journalist who writes about that Flash guy, right?”

“That's me,” she admits with a winning smile.

“I'm a big fan of your articles,” you gush. “You have such a way with words.”

“Hey, thanks. That means a lot. I can't wait to read one of your reviews. After all, Scott only hires the best.”

“Haha, yeah, I guess that means I'll have to locate the theater around here.”

“Why don't you let me show you around?” Iris offers. “What are you doing tonight?”

“Well, I was going to put on some sweatpants, curl up in bed, and watch Netflix...”

“Oh, honey, no,” she laughs. “That won't do. You'll be coming with me.” You smile at this newly forming friendship developing right now.

“And where might that be?”

“All in due time, (Y/N). All in due time.”

 

*

 

After exchanging numbers with Iris at work, you plan to meet up with her at one of Central City's popular nightclubs. You dig out one of your so-called “party dresses” for the outing, a sexy black little number. You don't wear it often, but tonight feels like the night to flaunt it.

When you eventually locate the club in question, you find your new friend Iris waiting for you at the bar. She waves you over to join her.

“Hey! Glad you made it!” she greets you. “I hope you don't mind, but I invited some friends to join us.” You tell Iris you don't mind at all, the more the merrier.

“Oh, here they come.” She signals to her friends, a very tall woman and a man with long hair, walk up to you two. “(Y/N), this is Doctor Caitlin Snow and Cisco Ramon. You guys, this is (Y/N). She just moved here from Hazel City. She's our new movie reviewer at CCPN.”

“Nice to meet you,” you say, shaking hands with Caitlin first, then Cisco.

“Movie reviewer, huh?” says Cisco, sounding intrigued. “What's your fave?”

“Good question. Tough one, though,” you admit. “But since I'm a sucker for time travel theories, I'm gonna have to go with _Back to the Future._ ”

“Classic.”

“Totally.”

Iris looks around the venue. “Where's Barry?” she asks.

“Oh, he's running a little late,” Caitlin explains.

“Really? That's strange... Barry is usually _extremely_ punctual.”

“Something came up at work,” Cisco pipes up. “He said he was just finishing up something.” Just as Cisco ended his explanation, a guy in a sweater/blazer combination comes up behind him and gives him a clap on the shoulder.

_It's him._

Your hero.

“Sorry I'm late, I was just-” he stops mid-sentence when he sees you and he smiles the biggest, friendliest smile.

“Hey! We met earlier, kind of.”

“Yes, hi! That's right, you totally saved me.” Everyone glances around at each other.

“So you two have already met?” asks Caitlin.

“Well, we weren't properly introduced,” you admit. “But that's mostly my bad. I kinda took off.”

“No worries,” says the guy. “My name's Barry.” When you give him your name, Barry says, “Nice to officially meet you,” you chuckle at that. Actually, you chuckle at many of the things he says that night. And not only because you've had a few drinks. Barry is such a sweet and funny guy and you are totally smitten. The pair of you visit at the bar while the others dance out on the floor. You learn that he's a forensic scientist for the Central City Police Department and is Iris' brother (sort of) and best friend. Small world!

You thank Barry again for catching you earlier. “It would _not_ have been a pretty sight if you hadn't been there.”

“It was nothing,” he says, sounding possibly a little embarrassed. “Don't mention it.”

Something you've come to realize about Barry so far tonight is that he seems to be a very genuine, nice guy. And honestly, you find it amusing when you catch him trying not to look like he's checking you out. It's cute. You also can't help but try and catch a few glimpses of him yourself.

“Hey, so, um,” Barry starts. “Would it be too forward if I asked for your number? You know, if you ever wanted to do something sometime? I could always show you around-” You put your hand on his, which causes Barry to cease his adorable rambling.

“Of course you can have my number, Barry.” You grab his hand. “But you have to dance with me first.” Leading him out onto the crowded dance floor, you notice his seemingly ever-present smile is glowing like the sun itself. You think to yourself how awfully grateful you are for meeting this human ray of sunshine.


	2. Chapter 2

Oh, what a night! You're still revelling in the greatness of last night, even on your way to work the next morning. Iris' friends are so unbelievably kind, so funny. And her brother/best friend? Damn. After spending all that time with Barry Allen at the club, you officially have it _bad._ They don't make guys like that anymore. It may sound completely weird, but even just simply being in his presence made you feel safe.

And you met the guy freaking yesterday!

 _Okay, but seriously,_ you think. _I can't think about the guy all day. I have to plan my first movie review for CCPN!_

Once you arrive at work, you immediately pull up the search browser on your laptop and check the movie listings in town. The theater a few blocks away is showing that one movie you've been dying to review since its trailer first came out. _Galaxy Plunders,_ directed by J.J. Abrams, features actors Dean Cain and Ezra Miller as a father and son duo in the profession of space piracy.

Iris walks by your desk. “Space pirates, huh? I heard about that one. It's a little out there, don't you think?”

“I dunno,” you say, twisting around in your swivel chair. “It sounds right up my alley.” Iris sits down across from you, takes a sip of her coffee, and taps around distractedly on her phone. “Now to figure out when to see it...” you say mostly to yourself. You click around the site for dates and showtimes, but before finally settling on one, your phone chimes, alerting you of a message. When you check to see who the text is from, the name on your screen makes your heart skip a beat.

 

_H_ _ey (Y_ _/N_ _)_ _! Had such a fun time with_

_you last night. Was wondering if_

_you might want to do something_

_tomorrow night? With me? Maybe_

_a movie? How do you feel about_

_Galaxy Plunders?_

 

You make a suspicious “hmm...” sound and raise an eyebrow at Iris, who, of course, is attempting to look busy. And failing.

“It's Barry,” you tell her.

“Oh?” she says, feigning surprise. “What does he have to say?” She's still not looking at you. _So we're playing this game, are we?_

“He wants to go to a movie together. He suggested _Galaxy Plunders_. That's one hell of a coincidence seeing as I only mentioned it like, two minutes ago. Wouldn't you agree, Iris?”

“Well, Barry does have an astounding intuition.” You stare her down in this charade, then you both break out in giggles.

 

_I'd really like that, Barry. I've_

_been dying to see that movie. It_

_will be my next review!_

 

_Awesome! I'll pick you up_

_tomorrow at 8?_

 

_Sounds lovely. Can't wait! :)_

 

 

Honestly, tomorrow night can't come fast enough. You didn't mean to let out a dreamy sigh after sending that last text, but it happened. You look up and catch Iris trying to hide her righteous grin while she is so suddenly invested in her work notes.

 

*

 

After purchasing the tickets and the concession snacks, Barry (ever the gentleman) asks you to choose the seats. When you find a pair of seats, you remark how extraordinarily comfortable they are compared to those in Hazel City. These are pure luxury! You could get used to coming here.

In the few minutes before the movie starts, Barry asks you all kinds of questions regarding your reviewing process.

“How do you decide what movie to cover?”

“What do you look for as you're reviewing it?”

“Do you normally bring a pen and paper with you for notes? I'd probably have to do that, I could never remember all my thoughts!”

You appreciate him asking questions about your process and procedures, finding him terribly cute while doing so. The lights dim down before you can ask him anything about his job as a forensic scientist. Like, come on! How cool is _that_?

During the first half of the film, you are so into it, taking many mental notes for later. But then, a couple of things happen that make your heart race like crazy and become distracted from the events occurring on screen. When you reach into the popcorn that Barry is holding for the two of you, your fingers brush his, that are also grabbing at the buttery snack.

Your cheeks heat up like a furnace and you feel appreciative for the darkness. You cannot believe how much you're acting like a total school girl. Out of the corner of your eye, you think Barry is looking straight at you, but you are far too tense to check if that is the case. You lean back into your seat and fidget your hands in your lap, trying to concentrate back on the movie to calm yourself down.

Several minutes later, however, you're back to feeling stomach flips when _it_ happens. It's like all happens in slow motion: Barry stretches, and sure enough, his arm drapes across the back of your seat. _Oh my God, he just pulled the move!_ And though you'd think this would send you flying off the Cliffs of Nervousness, it doesn't. In fact, it kind of relaxes you, puts you at ease. You can't help the ridiculous smile that curls on your lips. Now turning to see Barry, he's wearing a matching smile directed at you. That sunshine smile... Feeling more comfortable than ever now, you rest your head against him. A yell comes from the screen. Wait, how did that alien come to be strapped to Dean Cain's back?!

 

*

 

The walk back to your apartment was a heart fluttering affair (a now common occurrence around this man), something straight out of those cheesy romantic movies you secretly love. You walked side by side each other at a nice, leisurely pace passing underneath the fully bloomed cherry trees. They looked beautiful in the moonlight. So did Barry.

At one point, Barry somehow sneakily got much closer to you during the walk and takes your hand in his. You're pretty sure Barry blushes just as hard as you in that moment. But naturally, all good and wonderful things such as this must come to an end, as you both reach the door to your apartment building. You wish so much that this night didn't have to end with him.

“I had a really great time with you, Barry.”

“Yeah, I did with you too, (Y/N).” In these silent and awkward couple of seconds, you swear he has that look in his eyes like he wants to kiss you. _Oh please, please, Barry..._

He moves in closer and he smells so incredibly good it's intoxicating. _Please._ He pushes a strand of your hair back behind your ear.

“Can I k-” Barry's phone suddenly chimes loudly from his pocket and he reflexively checks it. His face drains of the flushed colour that was once there. “Call you? Can I call you later? There's an emergency. I'm so _so_ sorry but I have to run.”

“Okay-” Barry turns and sprints, but oddly enough it almost seems like he's holding back.

“I'll call you, I promise!” he shouts back to you.

You continue to stand there in your spot outside the apartment building after he's gone. You're perplexed. You really, really like Barry, but you can't help but wonder if he doesn't feel exactly the same way. Him leaving like that didn't make you feel too hot. Was that some kind of excuse? Was it you? Did you do something wrong? Maybe that was his way of letting you off. Ugh, this was going to drive you crazy. You tell yourself to go inside and work on your review. Surely that will be enough of a distraction from Barry's weirdness and these horrible, plaguing, second-guessing thoughts.


	3. Chapter 3

“What's got you so down in the dumps?”

It didn't matter that you received a free coffee from Jitters this morning. Nor did you care that one of your co-workers brought in donuts for everyone. _Or_ that Scott praised the _Galaxy Plunders_ review you emailed him last night, calling it ingenious, funny, and clever. You were most certainly off your game today and Iris could sense something was up.

“It's... nothing.”

“No, it's definitely something.” Iris eyes you like she's a robot scanning for the source of a virus. “This wouldn't have to do with your date with Barry, would it?”

“No,” you say unconvincingly. She gives you _the eyebrow._ “Okay, _yes_.”

“What did he do now?”

“It's just, everything was going so well. The date was perfect. We totally had some moments. But then, at the end, when we were saying goodbye...”

“What? What did he do?”

“He ran off! It was like he was going to kiss me and then he bolted. It was beyond weird. I kept thinking there was something wrong with me.”

“Oh sweetie, no. There's nothing wrong with you,” she assures you. “Guys can be such _guys,_ you know?” You nod. “I apologize for him. I could always talk-”

“No! I mean, thank you, but no. That's okay. I'll survive.” You flash Iris a smile, but you don't think that it necessarily put her at ease.

 

*

 

 _Hey_ _(_ _Y_ _/N_ _)_ _. I'm so sorry again_ _for_

_what happened the other_ _night._

_I hope you can forgive_ _me. Can I_

_make it up to you?_ _You can't see it,_

_but I'm_ _totally giving you the famous_

_Barry Allen sad puppy dog_ _eyes right_

_now._

 

Lord help you because you didn't mean to laugh at the thought of Barry making that face. And true to his word, he did call you the day after the date gone awry, although you did let his call go to voicemail. You had no idea what to say to him, you didn't know what to do.

You still don't.

There's a knock at the door and you think it's probably Iris, seeing as she has been threatening to come over and cheer you up with pizza, chocolate, and good old fashioned girl talk.

But when you open the door, it isn't Iris standing on the other side, but Barry! He's holding a bouquet of flowers and is peeking out over them.

“I thought maybe it would be more effective if you actually saw the puppy dog eyes in person,” he says, indeed looking like a poor, defenceless, and very sad dog. Truth be told, you are no match for his animated expression because it instinctively pulls at your heartstrings. Your hand touches your face and you laugh.

“Oh God, it worked. Get in here.” Opening the door wider for Barry to come in, you take the brightly bloomed flowers from him and go look for a proper vase. Barry shuts the door and stands against your kitchen counter.

“Listen, (Y/N), I really do want to make it up to you. I feel horrible about taking off how I did. What do you say to dinner tomorrow night?” There are a couple silent beats, and after looking into his eyes once more, you can easily see he feels genuinely shitty. You make your decision (though you wonder if your mind had already subconsciously been made up).

“Well, everyone deserves a second chance, right?”

“Yes, I absolutely agree.”

“You're just saying that,” you tease.

“Yes... and no.” His words try to hide some hidden meaning, surely packed with past experiences that you don't press on. Together, you'll start with a clean slate, a new chapter. After all, who knows what the future holds if you give Barry this second chance.

 

*

 

As it turned out, Barry spent the night at your place. But no, not like _that_. It was an innocent night (not so much were the thoughts in your head, but you felt it was not the time to act on them) filled with chips and salsa, conversation, and a movie. The more you two talked, the more you found him a down to earth, caring, funny, and all around regular guy. You learned that family is a big part of his life. Barry even opened up to you about the tragedy of losing his mother when he was ten years old. You felt awful about what happened, and yet felt such admiration in how he keeps a positive outlook on life.

You said it before and you'll say it again: they don't make guys like this anymore.

When you wake up in the morning, you realize you'd been sleeping against Barry's chest on the couch. You move off of him slowly, just as he seems to be waking up groggily, too.

“Good morning,” he says, voice sounding scratchy and sleep-ridden. So hot.

“Good morning, yourself.” You desperately don't want to leave his warm body, but it's an unfortunate must if you want to be at work on time. Once you're all put together for the day, you both leave your place and Barry so kindly walks you to work. On the way there he buys you your daily dose of Jitters coffee and this week's paper featuring your first movie review for CCPN. Barry reads it aloud as you walk.

“(Y/N), this is amazing! I especially like how you can go into detail about it all but not spoil anything huge. Now that's talent.”

“Aww, thanks, Barry.” He stops you for a moment when you reach the entrance doors to CCPN.

“Before you go, I just wanted to say thank you. For the second chance.”

“Don't mention it. We're still on for tonight, then?”

“For sure, yeah. I'll come round about seven for you?”

“Okay. Sounds good.”

Barry hesitates for a moment and you try to guess what's going on in his head, but he quickly catches you off-guard, kissing you. It's delicate, but also hard with meaning. Gosh, you'd been waiting for this moment... It would take everything you have to tame those fluttering butterflies in your stomach. But then again, did you even want to?

When your lips part, you bite your lip to suppress the gigantic smile that's dying to break free. Barry is looking at you in a way you've never been looked at before by any other man.

“I'll see you later,” he says sweetly.

“I'll be counting the hours,” you reply on autopilot. And was that a _sigh_? “I mean, not in a creepy kind of way. More like 'yay-I'm-so-excited.'” Barry gives a little laugh.

“Don't worry, I'm definitely going to be counting them, too.” Barry winks. He freaking _winks._ Then he gives you this cute little wave goodbye that leaves you frozen in place in a daze. Iris is lurking around the corner when you finally gain control over your muscles again and walk inside. How much of that did she see?

“Soooo...” Iris drags out the word. “Clearly you two are doing mighty fine.”

“I don't know what you're talking about,” you play it off.

“The look in his eyes and yours,” she says dreamily. “That _kiss_. And, I don't know, the fact that Barry was wearing the same clothes as yesterday.” She waggles her eyebrows.

“But how-”

“You're forgetting I live with the guy.”

“Oh right.”

“Soooo...”

“Heh heh, it wasn't like that Iris. Nothing _happened._ We had fun.”

“But not _that_ kind of fun?”

“Oh my God, no, not _that_ kind of fun.” _Yet,_ you think wickedly. You're blushing furiously now. “He's taking me to dinner tonight.”

“That's awesome! Have some dessert for me.”

When you have settled into your spot at your desk, you flip through the pages of the new issue of CCPN. One article jumps out at you in particular with its headline: **CPT. COLD GETS JUST REWARD – FLASH DOES IT AGAIN**. And by Iris West, no less. Reading the detailed piece, you learn that The Flash took down a guy named Captain Cold down at the docks at Central City Pier two days ago. _Iris must be friends with the Flash or something why she always gets the best intel._ You'll have to ask her about it sometime.

The rest of the day could not progress any slower. The whole time at work, and even once you returned home, thoughts of Barry and your approaching date danced in your head like sugar plums. You don't think you've ever had feelings this strong for anyone before so early on in, well, whatever this was.

Barry shows up later in the evening, exactly when he said he would. No sooner, no later. Boy, was he ever punctual. You liked that about him. Almost as much as you liked this white shirt/navy blazer combination he's wearing. Because _damn_.

You're just glad you decided to wear your fanciest, classiest dress for the occasion, and your hair was especially on point tonight. Honestly, you totally rivalled Barry for looking like hot stuff. And you can tell by the way he's looking at you- trying to be subtle about it, but completely failing at doing so. It's cute. So incredibly cute.

“Uh, wow, (Y/N). You look... so beautiful.”

Your cheeks flush at the compliment. “Thank you, Barry. So do you. Handsome, I mean. Not beautiful.” You pause. “Aww hell, who am I kidding? You do look beautiful, too.”

Cue the embarrassed laughter from the both of you.

“Ready to go?”

“Very much so,” you say. “I'm starving.”

“Me too. Let's go.” He lends his arm and you link yours in his. This night most definitely has promise.

 

*

 

More like a broken promise.

The night was going so incredibly well, like a dream really. The restaurant Barry chose was fantastic. Some of the best food you've tasted in your life. Your table was dressed in the finest dinnerware and candles to fit the mood. Barry even pulled out your chair for you like the gentleman he is.

You both talked about your pasts, work, and everything in between. Laughter was a common element throughout dinner, which caused others to glance your way. It may sound corny, but you felt like life just got brighter every time he was trying to be cute and funny and adorable. But let's face it, he didn't need to try.

When he mentioned being struck by lightning, that really caught your attention. The odds of that happening are insanely high and yet it happened to him. Thank goodness he was alright. Of course, he made light of the situation, to which you chuckled. You looked down smiling, strands of hair falling in front of your face.

“Did it hurt?” you asked.

“What, the lightning?”

“I was going to say when you fell from Heaven.”

Blushes all around. “Oh stop.” You then realized embarrassing Barry was one of your new favorite things.

After dinner, you two were feeling adventurous so you decided to order some dessert. After all, the decadent hot fudge brownie was calling your name. Yelling, rather. But just as the waitress left with the order, Barry's phone went off with a million text tones. His bright and sunny face dropped in an instant. All you could hear were strings of “so sorry”s and “emergency”s. You quietly said to him that you understood. Although you left out the part about it being a little disappointing honestly.

Especially when the dessert fit for two finally arrived.

“Excuse me,” you said to the waitress. “Actually, could I get this packed up to go, please?”

Which brings you to now, currently standing on Barry's doorstep with the packed up dessert. Thankfully you remembered which house was his because the other day, Iris had you stop here with her because she forgot something. You rap your knuckles on the door, prepared that he may not even be home.

The door opens and reveals a tall, darker skinned man. Immediately you take this to be Iris' father. The resemblance is there.

“Hi, Mr. West? I'm (Y/N). I was just-”

“Ahhh yes, you were out with Barry! Come in.” You thank him and step inside. “He hasn't stopped talking about you all week. Um, how did it go tonight?”

“It went really well. That is, until he ran off.”

“Ran off? I'm sorry to hear that. Did he say what the reason was?”

“All he said was that it was an emergency.”

Just as you finish your sentence Mr. West's radio goes off at his hip.

“That's my cue,” he says grabbing his jacket. “Cop stuff. It was nice meeting you. Feel free to hang out here until Barry gets back.”

“Thank you, Mr. West. It was nice meeting you as well.”

“Please, call me Joe.”

And like that, he's gone too. The house is quiet. You recall Iris mentioning that she was staying late at CCPN tonight. Frankly, you think she works far too much, but then again, that's why Iris is the best at what she does. When curiosity gets the better of you, you find yourself wandering around the house, and eventually, standing in Barry's room, admiring his knickknacks, collectibles, and photos. You pick up one of the framed photos with Barry, and who you believe to be his father, playing baseball. What a cute little kid he was. Torn jeans and grass stains. Freckled face and squinty eyes from smiling so hard. He was always that ball of sunshine, wasn't he?

“What are you doing here?”

You turn and see Barry himself behind you, surprised as hell. “Oh, sorry,” you say putting down the frame. “I- Joe said I could wait here for you. Not your bedroom, exactly, I was kind of wandering.”

“No I mean, why are you here? As soon as I left, I just knew you would have had it with me bailing again.” The poor baby looks so confused, so sad. As if this has happened before.

“Barry, I'm not going to lie, it did kind of bum me out,” you admit. “But then I thought, hey, I don't know what's going on in your life. And if it's something serious enough to be an “emergency,” I trust that one day, when you're ready, you'll feel comfortable enough to tell me what's going on.” He takes a couple steps toward you. “But in the meantime, I brought dessert!”

Barry's eyes are twinkling like you said a combination of magic words. He moves in close, takes your face in his hands, and kisses you in the way you've been wanting him to. It's deep, it's warm, it's perfect...

“How did I get to be so lucky with finding you?” His hands wrap around you pulling you closer to him.

“I don't know,” you sigh. “Thank the brute that bumped into me that day, I guess. Or else there'd be nothing but a big mess and a life void of you.”


	4. Chapter 4

Barry Allen may quite possibly be the best kisser on the face of the Earth.

After the dessert was eaten and when you two couldn't figure out what more to talk about, things took a turn. A _heated_ turn. And Barry did this thing with his mouth where it felt like he was vibrating against yours! It was heaven.

But of course, as your luck would have it, things never stay this good for long. You hear someone talking out in the hallway, the voice getting closer as it approaches Barry's bedroom door. You hurl yourself off of Barry to a nonchalant standing pose (at least you hoped).

“-if _The Flash_ was smart as he was fast, you'd think-” It's Iris. She looks like a deer caught in headlights, which is funny because then what must you look like? “(Y/N)! I didn't know you were here! I'm sorry, I'm totally interrupting something aren't I?”

“Not really,” you say simultaneously over Barry's, “Kind of.”

“It's okay,” you tell him softly. “I should be heading home anyway.”

“Can I walk you back?”

“Actually, Barry-” Iris tries.

“Oh, no it's fine,” you say, picking up on Iris' tone. Could it be possible that Barry has been ditching you these past few times for Iris? “It's not that far from here. And this sounds important. I'll... see you around.”

You leave the house with a funny feeling inside. Like, maybe there isn't enough room for you in Barry's life and maybe he doesn't even know it. Looking up, the sky is black, only the streetlights and the odd home of night-owls are illuminated.

Once passed the first couple blocks, you start to hear the sound of slow paced, clunky boots following you. You turn around to see whom it might be, but they cling to the shadows, unseen. You walk a little faster. _Oh god, they're still following!_ Breaking out into a full on run, you think you can make it, you see your building from here. But then a tall, hard body steps out in front of your path, causing you to run right into them. An arm tightly grasps your middle and you feel the cold barrel of a gun before you hear it power up.

“Freeze.”

 

*

 

This is not how you expected your night to go.

From making out with Barry to getting shoved in a van with a bag over your head, and now being tied to a pole in some kind of warehouse. You feel like you're going to be sick. The man, who stopped you in the street, who feels relatively familiar, finishes tightly binding your wrists around the pole.

“There. Comfortable?” he asks.

“Not even close.”

“Good.”

“What do you want with me anyway? I'm no one.”

“Au _contraire._ You are someone. Someone who could cause a lot of _pain_ to The Flash if something were to _happen._ ”

“ _The Flash_?” Who is this guy and why does he think you know the masked hero of Central City? “I think you're mistaking me for someone else. I don't know him. I've never even met him. Really, I _swear_.”

“Are you sure?” The man's tone is oddly playful.

“What's that supposed to mean?” A gust of wind blows in from out of nowhere it seems, making your hair fly all over the place.

“Let her go, Snart,” calls out an altered-sounding voice. You follow the voice and see a man in a red suit and mask. A lightning emblem on his chest.

“Ahh, _Flash_. Just in time, as usual. See, I'm going to turn your little lady friend into a new ice sculpture. God _knows_ this place could use a little decor.”

“Flash!” you cry out and rustle your wrists against your bindings. “Tell him you don't know me! He doesn't believe me!”

The Flash doesn't do this, however. Instead, he carefully moves closer to you and your captor, this Snart.

“Back so soon?” Flash asks. “I took you down the other day. How did you break out so quickly?”

“Let's just say it pays to have a loyal partner willing to bust a brother out.”

"And where _is_ Heatwave?"

"He went out. Picking up some booze for when we kick back and admire our new pièce de résistance."

"Let me guess, Fireball and Smirnoff Ice?"

"Uh, are we gonna chat all day or...?" you chime in.

The Flash puts his hand to his ear. You assume he is communicating to someone on the other end. “Guys, what now?” He waits a beat. “But I've never run that fast before.” His eyes behind his mask narrow, full of concentration and determination.

“Last chance, Snart,” The Flash calls to his enemy. “Let her go.”

“Not likely!” Snart fires up his cold gun, generating a glow and an extremely unnerving noise. He points it in your direction. You take a deep breath and close your eyes, preparing to become a tragically fancy ice sculpture.

But then the weirdest thing happens.

One second you're tied to this pole about to meet your frozen doom, and the next your wrists are free and you're being held in the arms of the red-suited speedster, somehow still running. The sheer speed he runs at combined with the bright lights whizzing by you makes you somewhat nauseous.

The Flash comes to a staggered halt, and you both topple over in an alleyway into several bags of trash. _How lovely._ You bring yourself to your feet and dust off your clothes and only slightly wonder how it could be daytime already. How long were you in that warehouse? You must be _really_ out of it.

“I don't know how to thank you, Flash. I thought I was a goner. You're my-” you stop. Are you seeing what you think you're seeing? The Flash's mask had been haphazardly pushed back from his head. “ _Barry_?!”

He groans while throwing a bag of trash off his stomach. “Heeyyy (Y/N).”

“I- I- What? How?” Words are clearly not forming for you right now.

“It's a long story, but I can explain.”

“You're The Flash?”

“Yeah.” There's a pause between you both. Barry kind of looks like he's preparing to take an emotional hit.

“That's... _awesome!”_ Now he's looking completely shocked at your enthusiasm. He's so cute when he's taken off guard.

“You mean you're not upset I didn't tell you?”

“Barry, that's like Superhero 101. You have to keep your identity secret from the people most important in your life or else the villains will find them and use them as your weakness. Well, I guess what happened with us there was an exception...”

“Wow, I can't believe you're so understanding about all this.”

“I basically watch movies for a living. The odd superhero flick tends to cross my path,” you joke.

“You're so amazing,” Barry says, taking your hands and kissing them.

“You're one to talk! Quick, show off some of your skills!” Barry, ready to impress, jumps up and down and gets prepares to take off. When he does, it doesn't exactly take your breath away. It mostly looks like an average run...

“Ha ha! That's funny, do it for real!”

“It's no joke... My speed. It's gone!”

“ _What?_ How can that be?”

“I don't know!”

“Well, we can't have you walking around looking like _that_ while you're powerless. Stay here and don't be seen. I'll go find you something.”

“Thank you. I guess you could say that you're _my_ hero now.” Barry laughs nervously.

“You better believe it.” You point a finger at him. “And we are definitely talking more about all _this_ when I get back.”

You walk out onto the sidewalk to join the rest of the hurrying citizens heading to and fro. This street, you know it. There's that decent clothing store near Jitters that will do fine. Barry may be The Flash (you are still totally rattled), but damn if your power walk wasn't mighty fast too.

There wasn't much rhyme or reason to choosing the clothes, but they needed to be affordable and fit Barry. And thanks to your keen eye and the ability to pay from your phone, you were in and out of that shop faster than you've ever been on a shopping outing. When you head back toward the alley, you see Barry coming your way already dressed in regular clothes.

“What, did you mug an innocent bystander?”

Barry raises a questioning eyebrow. “I'm sorry?”

“Your clothes. I already got you some.” You gesture to the shopping bag.

“I think you're mistaking me for someone else,” he says. _Is_ this _a_ _joke?_

“Don't be sill-”

A woman's scream comes from behind you. _That scream. It sounded like..._

You turn around to see from whom it came from and the reveal causes you to drop the bag from your hands. A woman, whom had stepped out the doors of Jitters, had just fallen and her coffee spilled all down the front of her outfit. She berates the man whom had supposedly bumped into her.

_It's me. Oh my god, that's me! What the hell?!_

The man that bumped into other-you walks toward you. His parka. You remember it from that day now. You remember it from mere minutes ago in the warehouse. It was Snart who caused the accident that day!

“I can't show up like this! I'm going to be so late, gaaahh!” other-you cringes. Barry is suddenly nowhere in sight.

Barry. That wasn't your Barry you were talking to a second ago. That was the Barry that was supposed to catch other-you and save you from the horribly messy situation. _Oh no. This is not good._

You book it back to the alley this time and chuck the bag of clothes at Barry.

“Whoa, hey.”

“I think we're in big trouble, Bare.”

“Why, what happened?”

“Well, um, I ran into you a couple minutes ago, except it wasn't you, and that distracted you from saving me from falling and getting coffee over myself,” you ramble breathlessly.

“Wait a second,” Barry says while picking up a discarded newspaper from the ground. His face drops. “Look.” He points at the date. While the year and month are still the same, the day itself is not.

“This says Monday the fifth. It's not Monday the fifth!” your voice reaching a higher decibel.

“Last time I checked it was Friday the ninth.”

“Great Scott, Barry!” your hands fly to your head. “We've gone back in time!”


	5. Chapter 5

“I can't believe this is happening right now. What are we going to do?”

Sitting at a table in the back corner of Jitters, you and Barry talk in hushed voices about what had come to pass. Your mind was still blown from the (clearly not) impossible fact that you were currently stuck in the past. Not to mention that you had, not that long ago, stopped Barry and yourself from having your first encounter, thus never meeting. How that will affect the future from here on out, you had no idea. The timeline has now been altered and not knowing what comes next scared you.

“Relax, it'll be alright,” Barry says, trying to calm you. You take a deep breath. “He'll be here any minute.” As if on cue, Cisco walks through the door and Barry gives him a stressed wave. He was the first person Barry had thought to confide in and the fewer people that knew about your current predicament the better. You were a little skeptical, though. How well would he take this dump of information? If he even believed you...

“Barry, I got your text. What's so urgent?” Cisco looks at you up and down. “And who's your lovely friend?”

 _That's right, we haven't met yet._ Barry introduces you and instructs Cisco to sit down.

“Listen, this is going to be a lot to take in, so just, you know, keep an open mind.”

“Dude, we live in a city full of Metas," he laughs. "My mind's pretty damn open.”

You and Barry lock eyes, hesitating to confess, which leaves an awkward pause around the table. But ultimately it's Barry who blurts out the almost unfathomable truth.

“Cisco, we're from the future.”

“Five days in the future to be exact-” you jump in.

“I ran back in time-”

“And I totally just messed up the timeline-”

“So now we've never met-”

“Which means I won't get kidnapped by Captain Cold-”

“Who I'm supposed to save her from, but I can't now because my powers are gone-”

“So Barry can't run fast enough to create a portal back to our time-”

“And now we're stuck.” Both of you are out of breath from the long winded explanation and it also doesn't help that you hold your breath while waiting for Cisco's response. Cisco sits there with his mouth slightly agape and big round eyes staring back at you both. He gives his head a downward shake.

“Whoa,” he finally utters. “This is _heavy_.”

 

“Okay, okay. Let's walk through this again, only slower this time.”

Cisco paces the floor of his small apartment, where the sensitive conversation had been immediately moved to, where it could be talked about at full volume and without any interruptions or more potential life altering run-ins.

“You two are from the near future. This upcoming Friday, to be exact.”

“Yes,” you confirm.

“(Y/N) was kidnapped by Snart and Barry saved you by running so fast that he accidentally created this time portal to the past. To now.”

“Correct,” Barry says.

“Now (Y/N) ran into, let's call him ' _Past Barry_ ,' and changed the course of events that led you two to meet. Or rather, not meet. See, this could be a real problem.”

“No shit...” you mutter under your breath.

“Because – if my line of thinking is correct, if you don't meet, you don't go out. And if you don't go out, you don't fall for one another, care enough for each other. And why would Snart kidnap someone Barry doesn't care for? He likes to hit you where it hurts.”

“You don't have to tell me,” Barry agrees.

“And finally, if you don't end up caring for (Y/N), then you won't push yourself to run as fast as you did, thus creating the time portal.”

“Wait,” you start voicing your line of thinking. “The only known way at the moment to create a time portal is by Barry running fast enough, right? Cisco, since my Barry has lost his powers, would it be possible for 'Past Barry' to create a portal home for us?”

“Interesting...” Cisco ponders. “It seems the only reasonable solution right now. But there is a flaw in that idea.”

“What's that?” Barry asks.

“Doc Brown's law,” Cisco points out.

“We can't interact with our own past selves,” you explain.

“What about interacting with each other's past selves? Like, I talk to you from the past and you talk to 'Past Me'?”

“Barry, that just might work! Good thinking, baby!”

Cisco rubs his hands together like he's already got a plan in motion. “Now we're cooking with plutonium!”

“Now where do we start?” Barry thinks aloud. You let his question roll around in your head for a moment.

“We didn't meet again until the club when Iris invited me out tonight. We'll both be in the same room, then. Cisco, since you're in on this, when you meet Past Me at the club, you'll need to pretend you've never seen my face before.”

“I think I can pull it off.”

“Great. And remember, you can't tell anyone else about us being from the future.”

Cisco salutes you in understanding. “Alright... let's get you two together, or back together? You know what I mean!”

 

Barry, Cisco, and yourself use the rest of the day to plan out your team's attack at the club tonight. Knowing that both your past selves will be there will require everyone to be on their toes, alert. _There cannot be any run-ins with your double_ , it was reiterated. You both made sure you had everything before leaving for the club. New night-on-the-town outfits and thanks to Cisco, burner phones.

“We don’t want to have you guys texting each other and then having the texts show up on your past selves’ phones. How bizarre would that be? However, you will be able to see what they are texting from your old phones.”

“Okay, got it,” you say.

“Thanks, man,” Barry claps his friend’s back.

“Don’t mention it. Anything to help.”

Barry and yourself leave for the club early enough so that you could find the best vantage point to keep an eye on everything. The place is bouncing, just like that Monday night.

“Is it considered creepy if you’re spying on yourself?” You aren’t sure if Barry is musing to himself or if he wants a genuine answer.

“I don’t know if it’s creepy, but it’s still most definitely weird,” you point out. “I don’t know why I haven’t shown up yet... I came with Iris, and she’s been here for ten minutes already.” Cisco and Caitlin walk in the front doors. Cisco gives a subtle nod in your direction, noting that he has spotted you both. _Something’s not right._

“Look to your ten o’clock,” Barry says. “I just walked in the door.” And there his is, Past Barry, wearing exactly the same outfit as you remember him in. Cisco greets Past Barry and after a few minutes makes his way to the other side of the room to you guys looking concerned.

“Where am I? Why didn’t I show up?”

“Iris said she invited you earlier today, but you stayed home because of a rough day. Did you have a rough day?”

“No, I had a great first day. Shit, okay, these aren’t the circumstances we anticipated, but we’re going to make it work dammit! Barry, you’re going to need to find Past Me at home, obviously, and somehow introduce yourself.”

“How could I possibly do that without coming off as a stalker?”

“Hate to break it to you Bare, but right now, you and I _are_ stalkers. I don’t know, deliver a pizza or something. I can’t say no to pizza. Go from there and, you know, be your beautiful, charming self.”

“And what about you?”

“Me? Well, I’m going to seduce you," you say flirtatiously with a wink.

“I guess I’m a lucky guy.” Barry goes in for a kiss and Cisco covers his eyes while making a grossed-out-twelve-year-old noise.

“Ew, yeah, okay, so what do I do?”

“Cisco, you need to distract Iris. Tell her something, anything to get her to leave. We can’t have her seeing me here while the other me is supposed to be at home." You feel like a football coach instructing your team on the game plan to win the championship. "Ready? One, two, three, break!” And like that, Barry ran out the back exit (albeit nowhere near as fast as he used to run as The Flash) and Cisco played his part very well in whatever he decided to say to Iris. It was hard to decipher her reaction because she fled the scene so quickly. Past Barry leans over the bar ordering a drink. _Here goes nothing_. You stride over him and rest an elbow on the bar top.

“So, you come here often?”


	6. Chapter 6

“So, you come here often?”

“Not really, I'm- hey.” Past Barry stops mid-sentence as he turns to see who's trying to hit on him. “I know you. From earlier today, right?”

“Oh right,  _hey_ !” You feign surprise at this 'chance' meeting. “Sorry about that, you just look  _exactly_ like someone I know.”

“It's cool,” he says. Past Barry takes this time to  subtly  check you out. “Uh... are you here alone?”

_That's right, time to reel him in!_

“I am,” you confess. “I was supposed to meet my friend here, but something must've come up.” It feels really weird to lie to poor Barry, so wrong. But for this plan to work, you need to deceive him.

“That's too bad,” he sympathizes. “You can hang with me if you like. I'm not like, a creep or anything so don't worry.” He cringes a little at the words that left his mouth. “Can I get you a drink?” You pull up a seat next to him on a bar stool.

“I would love a drink, thank you...”

“Barry,” he offers along with a hand.

“(Y/N)” you reply and shake  it . A  sharp shock startled you at the contact. You gasp at the surprise. It must be something to do with his powers.  _But I'm not supposed to know anything about that._

“Oh! You shocked me! I guess that means there's a spark between us?” You laugh. Look at you, flirting! His eyes twinkle at you and his lips curl into a shy smile. Aw, Barry. Could he get any cuter? Cisco walks up to the bar with tipsy Caitlin.

“Who's your friend, Barry?” Cisco asks, playing the part well. Introductions are made and Caitlin takes a liking to you already.

“(Y/N), it's sooo nice to have another girl here,” Caitlin places a hand on your shoulder. “I always feel like I'm stuck with  _men_ wherever I go!”

“Don't mind Caitlin,” Cisco says. “She says all kinds of crazy things when she's drunk.”

“I've only had two drinks.”

“Here's a word for you: lightweight.”

Just then, a song plays through the speakers. You know this song... It's  _Earth Angel_ by Marvin Berry  & The Starlighters. Only it's different- someone has turned it into a tasteful remix. Cisco gives a conspiratorial wink when his friends aren't looking.  _Thanks, Cisco._

“I love this song!” you say. “Barry, may I have this dance?” It looks like he almost doesn't know what to do. Out of the corner of your eye, Cisco gestures for him to move his ass. Caitlin is less subtle.

“Go on, Barry! Dance with the pretty lady!” Past Barry smiles big and takes your hand.

“It would be my honour,” he says suavely.

 

 

The next morning, on the walk to Jitters with your Barry, you can't get rid of the satisfied smile plastered across your face. Flashes of dancing with Past Barry last night resurface in your mind. It was just as fun and amazing as the very first time.

“You didn't come in til late,” Barry mentions. He and you will be staying at Cisco's until things get sorted. You tried to sneak in without waking him, but apparently, you had failed in that. “And if that smile is any indication, I'd say you had a good time.”

“More than good. It was great!” You link arms with him. “I think I really made an impression.”

“I'm positive you did, too.”

“So tell me about Past Me. Did you end up delivering that pizza?” Barry nods and chuckles a little. “What's so funny?”

“You... She wasn't how you normally act,” he says.

“In what way?”

“When she answered the door, she said, ' _Pizza_.  Youuuu saved my life.' Actually, she slurred her words. And stumbled a bit.”

“I was _drunk_?”

“Very. I even made up some excuse about going around and handing out free pizzas to Central City Pizza's best customers. And do you know what she said?”

“'Get out of here, you creepy stalker?'” you joke.

“She said, 'You're _so_ funny!' and laughed uncontrollably and tumbled into me.”

“Oh God. I must have had a really horrible first day at work for me to do that.” You reach Jitters just after the morning rush has passed. Barry offers to buy the drinks while you grab a table. You sit down at the one at the back of the room.

“Hey, it's you! The delivery guy?” you hear a familiar voice say. Keeping yourself out of view at your table, you manage to place the voice to the face. _Your_ face.

“Oh- Oh! You're- Yeah, I mean, yeah it's me,” Barry stumbles with his words pretending to recognize your past self.

“I had had a horrible first day at work and I don't normally drown my sorrows in alcohol, but...” you/she tries to explain. Her face is blushing pretty hard. _That is so me_ , you think.

“No, it's fine.”

“And actually, I was hoping I'd run into you,” she says. “I wanted to apologize.”

“It's not neccess-”

“And give you a tip.”

“No, no, really, it's fine,” he insists.

“I woke up on the couch with a blanket over me.”

“I did do that,” Barry admits. He didn't mention that he did that. You don't know whether to swoon or be jealous of yourself! “I couldn't leave you in the hallway, could I?”

“I guess I should order pizza more often.” Past You gives him her number. “Call me sometime.” She leaves Jitters with her coffee, walking extra slow and  moving  cautiously when opening the door. Barry sits down across from you.

“She seemed nice,” you  tease . “And cuuuuute.”

“You have no idea,” he says pretending he's lost in a daydream.

“I think she's into you.”

“I hope so. You know, for the plan to work.”

“Right, of course.”

“ And w hat about you and me?”

“What  _about_ you and me?”

“I mean, you and Past Barry.  When are you going to see him again? ”

“Oh, haha! Right, well, he and I have a date tomorrow night.  _Galaxy Plunders._ He texted me a couple hours ago.”

“Eager fella, isn't he?  Wait a second.” Barry pulls out his phone, his original phone, and scrolls through  some new texts. “Ha! Check this out.” He turns the screen for you to see  Past Barry's thoughts about you.

 

_ Cisco. Man, I really like this girl. _

 

_ That's awesome, man. You _

_ should go for it. _

_ I plan on it. I've never met someone _

_ like her before. _

 

 

“That is so cute,” you blush. The two of you laugh about how completely bizarre this whole situation is. And if you're being honest with yourself, it's probably only going to get a whole lot more bizarre.


	7. Chapter 7

_Déjà vu? More like_ _déjà_ _fait._

The questions about your job. Reaching for the popcorn at the same time. Even the classic movie date arm move. It was all happening again before your eyes on the very familiar _Galaxy Plunders_ date. The only real significant difference was this time you got to see how that alien came to be on Dean Cain's back (star-powered alien cannon).

But it's not like this all feels boring because you have already gone through it all. No, actually, you relished in it. You took more notice of Barry's actions and cute facial expressions because you weren't nervous this second time around. In fact, after the movie on the walk home, _you_ were the one who made the first move and reached for Barry's hand to hold. His ears totally turned pink!

You both reach your apartment, but you have no plans on going inside since Barry's only going to run away on you anyway. And since on that night you never got that kiss from him...

“I had a really great time with you, Barry.”

“Yeah, I did with you too, (Y/N).” Any second now his phone is going to go off, so you decide to beat it to the punch. You take his face in your hands and plant a big kiss on him. He hesitates at first, put a little off guard at your quickness, but then returns your kiss ardently. In the middle of your short-lived makeout session, Barry's phone chimes as expected. He looks so torn when he sees the notification.

“Oh no. There's an emergency. I'm so _so_ sorry but I have to run.” You give him an understanding nod. “Can I call you later?”

“I'd be insulted if you didn't,” you say, playfully tugging at his suit jacket. And there he goes pretending to be a slow runner again. _Oh, Barry._

“I'll call you, I promise!”

“I know you will,” you say to yourself.

 

* * *

 

Since the timeline had been altered ( _whoops_ ), various moments leading up to your kidnapping were bound to be different from what you've known. For a very current example, Past You saw Galaxy Plunders yesterday in order to write the review early to make up for the poor impression left on Monday. And so, when your Barry called Past You to set up a date, they agreed on bowling – which was to take place the same night as your date with Past Barry. You rush to head over to the Central City Bowling Alley to catch a glimpse of their date.

And to get a 'good seat' for what Cisco has planned.

You duck into one of the booths positioned before the lanes with Barry and Past You in sight. They're giggling about something, probably something Barry said or did most likely. You can't help but notice he's being very touchy-feely with her. Were you jealous? Maybe. Which is a weird thing to feel when it's _you_ he's with, essentially.

Past You is up to bowl next. She picks up a ball and throws it down the lane kind of awkwardly. It slowly curves into the gutter. _That makes no sense..._ You're great at bowling. Barry walks up to stand behind her, placing hands on her waist and her throwing arm, and helps her with the next throw. All the pins fall except one. Past You lets out a happy squeal and kisses Barry on the cheek.

_Ooh, I'm a crafty girl._

Barry bowls his turn and then says he'll be right back, that he's just going to order some snacks. You meet him at the snack bar and tap his shoulder.

“Hey, how's the date going?”

“Hey, _really_ great. Wait, should you be here? What if you're seen?”

“It's fine. I'll be careful. Are you ready for Cisco tonight?”

“Yeah, we went over the plan. Should go smoothly.” When his snack order is ready he grabs them and before he heads back to his date, he says jokingly, “When we get back, I'll have to take you bowling for some lessons, haha!”

“Sorry to burst your bubble Barry, but I'm faking it,” you say with a wink. You retire back to your spying booth, leaving him and his shocked face standing there.

Even from your seat, you can tell by the body language that when Barry confronts Past You about holding back on your bowling skills, she looks pretty well embarrassed. When they finish up the game, from the looks of it, Past You beats Barry by a long shot. He gives her a cuddly congratulations and they get packed up to leave. You slink down in the booth as they walk nearby to the exit. And like the creepy stalker you have become in this whole ordeal, you keep a safe and inconspicuous distance. You follow them for a few blocks as he walks her home, waiting for Cisco's big surprise move. Then, a short dark figure moves out from the shadows. They jump out at the strolling pair, wearing a mask and holding something resembling a gun at Past You.

“Gimmie all your money!” says the male voice in a forced manner.

_Cisco._

Past You doesn't shriek but you can tell what's going on inside her since, well, she _is_ you. Her heart would feel like it would have leapt out of her chest. She would be holding her breath in out of pure fright. And okay, there would be shrieking, but only in her head (plus a lot of curse words).

She complies, as you would have, on account of not wanting to potentially get shot, and hands over her bag. But in the handoff, Barry chops the gun out of Cisco's hand. When the gun hits the floor, it sounds plastic, but who could really tell in this charged moment? Barry goes on to elbow him in the gut, causing him to keel over on the ground. Cisco pretends to writhe in pain.

“Oh my God!” Past You shouts.

“Not today, pal,” Barry says handing back the bag to her. _Wow, that all looked pretty believable._ “Let's get out of here.”

They walk briskly away from the scene. Before you go to help Cisco up, you hear Past You exclaim, “Barry, you're like a real life superhero!”

 

 

* * *

  

You three masterminds reconvene at Cisco's place after the well-performed set-up. The plan was to create a scenario in which to save Past You, to create that special bond, as the first meeting of saving you never happened. And now that this bond was set in place, all that's missing is one thing.

“Captain Cold,” you say. “Past Barry will have just put him behind bars. He has to be free in order to kidnap me and set the next steps in motion. But how on Earth do we bring him into the mix now?”

“I think I have an idea,” Barry says. Cisco seems to be on the same page as his friend.

“Yeah, and I think it'll involve some major _fire_ power _._ ”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this one's a shorter one. According to my calculations, there'll be one more chapter after this one :'(

“Are you sure  _this_  is the right place?” you ask, looking up at the decrepit and flickering signage above.  _Saints and Sinners_ , it reads.

“Yes, unfortunately,” Barry confirms with a grimace.

“This Mick guy sure doesn't have good taste in bars,” you mutter.

“Stay close to me.” You nod. Upon entering the scary box of a building, you take in an unwanted whiff of smoke and heavy booze. You give an involuntary shudder.

Barry leads the way to the bar counter where a lone man sits hunched over his drink. He has a thick build, bald head, and a perpetually angry expression.  _Of course this would be the guy Barry's after. He looks like he eats puppies for breakfast!_

“Rory,” Barry addresses him. Mick turns at the sound of his name.

“Ugh,” comes a deeply annoyed grunt from the man and goes back to his drink. “Whataya want, Leotard?”

“We've come to, well, strike up a deal, I guess.”

Now he looks interested. “Whataya mean  _deal_?” Barry takes a seat next to the thug.

“We need you to break Snart out of Iron Heights tonight.”

“Who's we?” You get into Mick's line of view and wave. “Why?”

“You sure ask a lot of questions for a thug,” you note, earning you a glare from burly man. Barry steps in to deter his attention from you.

“We know you have ways of getting him out. If you do, we promise not to come after you, but we need a favour first.” Mick hears the word 'favour' and at first, looks defensive, then remembering he would have a free pass in breaking his crime brother out, decides to give Barry a chance.

“Go on.”

“The moment he's free, we need Snart to uh...”

“Kidnap me,” you say point blank, getting straight to the point. “We need Snart to kidnap me.”

“You kids _..._  are seriously  _messed_   _up_.”

“Listen, it's a long story,” Barry tries to explain. “But basically this has to happen and we have to 'save' her.” Mick thinks about it for a good long while trying to wrap his head around this strange proposal.

“And you won't throw either of us back in the clink for doing this?”

“Nope. Free pass. _T_ _his time_. But the next time you guys are up to no good, we'll come after you.” You and Barry wait for an answer. Mick tosses back the rest of his drink and slams the glass back on the counter.

“Fine. Meet at the east end of the park downtown. Nine-thirty.” The stone-faced criminal eyes you up quickly, taking in your appearance for future reference. “See ya later, doll-face.” He gets up and exits the bar.

“Planning to get myself abducted by felons...” you muse. “My life has gotten seriously weird since I met you, Barry Allen.”

 

 

* * *

 

While the infamous Mick Rory works his criminal magic in his prison break, you and Barry decide to go for a stroll to kill some time and to calm your growing nerves for the plan ahead. A quick window shopping on Main Street makes a good distraction, followed by a late evening pastry and latte. After all, this scheming business was hard work, you deserved a treat! In a cozy booth, you cuddle next to Barry and confess your worries about reliving this event. Because yes, apparently this was your life now. Barry comforts you with his words and his closeness.

“It'll be fine. Before you know it, it'll be like we never left and we'll be back in our own time.”

_Time._

You glance at the clock up on the wall of the cafe. Time has gotten away from you and there are ten minutes left until you need to be at the spot where Snart is supposed to 'capture' you!

“Barry we gotta go,  _now_!” Flying through the cafe's doors, you run as fast as your non-metahuman legs will carry you. The streetlights have come on, and the night is almost fully upon you. The park is right around the corner and the meeting place not far from there.

You both make a sharp left turn and it's too late to be aware of the woman directly in your way, so you accidentally collide into her.

“Oh my goodness, I'm  _so sorry_!” you begin to apologize profusely. “I should've been more careful. I didn't mean...”

“Uhf, it's- it's fine,” she says, picking herself up off the ground. “This is beginning to be a part of my everyday life-” The woman stands up to face you and a mirrored image stares back. Her eyes go wide. Yours do too.

After all, you'd both have the same reaction... It's Past You!

She backs up slowly while mouthing the word “Wha-?” and stumbles. Then she bolts in the opposite direction, the way you were headed.

“Hey, wait!” you call after her. Should you run after her? What good would that do? You're not supposed to come in contact with your past self so the space-time continuum doesn't unfold! But nothing happened just then... Before you can decide, you hear her/your scream in the distance. A familiar flash of a blue glow and charging sounds ring in the night air. You take a couple steps and squint down the lit path. The sound of a motorbike peels away. You and Barry share a nervous glance.  _No..._   _Snart_...

“He's got her!” you yell. “He's got me! The wrong me!”

“Damn!” Barry curses. “Damn,  _damn_!”

“What on Earth do we do now?” Barry is silent for a moment.

“I think we have to come clean to the whole team...”

“Even-?”

“Yes, even Past Me.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter! Man, this story has been a ride!

“Why am I so nervous right now?” Barry says while he wrings his hands and glances at the S.T.A.R. Labs sign outside the doors to the building.

“I don't know,” you say. “Maybe because conversing with your past self can potentially create a time-paradox thus causing a chain reaction that would unravel the very fabric of the space-time continuum and destroy the entire universe.”

Barry stares at you with a blank look on his face.

“But don't worry!” you try to peddle back. “I totally busted that myth back there. It's all good. We're still alive, right? And no impending doom in sight!” Barry takes a deep breath to calm his nerves. He leads you down the ramps and around a curved corridor until he reaches a room dubbed “The Cortex.” Cisco sits at the desk but jumps to his feet at seeing you both.

“What are you doing here?” Cisco hisses through his teeth. “You can't be here! What if you-?”

“We know, we know,” Barry cringes. “But there's been a major hitch in the plan.” Cisco finally takes notice that you are still with Barry and _not_ currently being held pretend-hostage by a mad criminal.

“No...”

“Yeah,” you confirm his suspicion. “Snart took Past Me instead. She's got to be so incredibly freaked out right now.” Now Caitlin walks into the room and does a double-take at you and Barry.

“Oh, hi guys,” she says. “Barry, I thought you'd just left.” Barry goes to explain himself, but Caitlin continues, “-But we're glad you're here because we just got word that Snart has escaped from Iron Heights. That has to be some sort of prison break record.”

“Caitlin, listen,” Barry says. “Is Doctor Wells still here? We have something urgent to tell you both.”

“I'm right here, Mr. Allen,” says a bespectacled man wheeling in on a chair, apparently the great physicist himself. “This must be Miss (Y/L/N). We've heard a great deal about you these last couple days. What's the urgent news?”

It shouldn’t have been surprising how quickly Wells and Caitlin came to understand the unique predicament as Barry and yourself recount the time-travelling story for what feels like the hundredth time. Right away, the S.T.A.R. Labs team started to brainstorm ideas to save Past You. So far, things are looking good as a plan begins to unfold. You must look nervous because Doctor Wells wheels over and puts a hand on your shoulder.

“Don't worry, Miss (Y/L/N). We'll do everything in our power to save your other self and to get you back to your time.” Wells gets a funny look in his eyes. “I can't imagine how that must feel...”

“I guess this makes you Doc Brown, Doctor Wells,” Barry points out, and gives you a knowing smile.

You gasp at how perfect it sounds. “Doc Wells...”

“Ah, yes,” he says. “Tremendous picture.”

“Oh! Doctor Wells, you have to show (Y/N) your impression of him,” Barry insists. “She'll love it.”

“Hey!” Cisco interrupts. “Who's been helping you from the start? I'm _so_ your Doc Brown.”

“You're right, Cisco,” you give in. “The title belongs to you.”

“While I admire your thoughts on mock casting,” says Wells, “I do believe we have an unsuspecting young lady to save?” It's this moment that things decide to take a turn for the awkward. A zooming Past Barry skids into the room.

“You guys! Snart has-” he stops in front of your Barry and several varying levels of shock flash across his face. First at seeing you, then at seeing himself, and of course, seeing you two together. “(Y/N)? What's going on?” You glance at both Barrys, preparing yourself for another long winded explanation for the only one still left in the dark.

“Barry, we need to have a little chat.”

 

* * *

 

The time has come.

Past Barry and yourself march up to the familiar warehouse down at the Pier. He assures you quietly everything will work out. As he takes the main entrance, you go around to the back exit and follow the sounds of a female's protests.

“Snart!” Past Barry yells from the other end of the building as he enters. “You've got the wrong girl!”

“I dunno, _Flash,_ ” teases Snart. “She looks _exactly_ how Mick described her.”

_I don't even want to know._

“Flash!” Past You calls desperately to him. “Tell him you don't know me!”

 _Oh boy..._ Past Barry looks conflicted. Technically he doesn't know her. You were the one who spent time all that time with him. He knows _you._

Carefully creeping closer to the scene, and to Past You, you take cover behind a large crate. Past Barry shakes his head slowly, then pushes the hooded red mask back to reveal his face and perfectly messy hair.

“ _What_? No. Way,” she says in total awe. “Barry?!”

“(Y/N), everything's going to be okay,” he assures her. “Listen, guys, this was all a huge mistake. Just hand her over and we'll forget any of this ever happened.”

“See, I'm not sure I wanna to do that,” Snart says. The room goes quiet.

“You double crosser-”

“Hey, it's what you signed up for when you got into business with _us_ , kid.”

 _Why in the hell_ _is_ _he_ _not le_ _t_ _t_ _ing_ _me- I mean her, go?!_

Snart smirks, smug as can be. “I like what I saw that day I bumped into her,” he admits while giving Past You a good look up and down. “She really gave me the business. Foul language this one has, and boy, was it refreshing. Shame about the blouse, though.” You stare at him and then to your past self struggling angrily against her binds that are keeping her trapped to the pole.

“I think we'll keep her,” Snart declares.

“We had a deal!” Past Barry yells, pretending to be his future self, the one who struck up this deal. “This wasn't in the plan!”

“Plans change!”

You need to get in there and fast. Now's your chance.

Without letting the baddies catch sight of you, you stealthily inch your way up to Past You. Her face is pretty amusing, quite honestly, as she frowns and squints yet also looks completely bewildered at the fact that this double of her, the one who startled her earlier in the night, is helping her free. Snart almost turns your way, but Past Barry distracts him.

“You're just words.” Past Barry spits. “Your word doesn’t mean a thing.”

Past You shucks her binds and you whisper ever so quietly to her, “Give me your jacket.” She gives in and hands it over. You pretend to have your hands tied behind the pole in her place, then with a tilt of the head, you show her that _your_ Barry is reaching out to her to get her the hell out of here. Barry makes a hurrying motion to her and one to you meaning, _I'm coming back for you_.

They make it out safely.

_Thank goodness._

“You're right, Allen,” Snart says surprisingly. “You've changed my mind. You can have this pretty young thing back.”

“You're kidding?” Out of your periphery, your Barry peeks in from the exit, looking for an opening to come and get you. He's about to make his move.

“Not at all. But the only way you'll get to enjoy her is as home decor.”

“Home de-?” The sound of Snart's Cold Gun charging up makes your stomach drop. It points at you and both Barrys let out a bellowing, “ _NO_!”

In between the split second of the mix of blue, red, and orange filling the room, you feel a strong pair of hands sweeping you up. Then there it is again: beaming lights flying by. That sick feeling inside. And as if in no time at all, Past Barry sets you down gently in the safety of your apartment. It's dark outside, the same as mere seconds ago.

“Are we...?” you ask, voice a little shaky.

“In the future, yes. Well, your present. Should be not long after you guys first travelled back...”

_Barry._

“Where is he?! Where's my Barry?” The look of distress for you is apparent on his face, as well as disappointment. It was clear in your wording that this Barry standing in front of you is not _yours_. Even though this one fell for you, too. His eyes are brimming with longing for a few seconds, then a spark of duty and heroism replace it. In an instant, Past Barry leaves you there, papers blowing in his departure.

A portal opens in front of you and out flies Barry.

“Barry, oh my God!” you cry, hugging him like life depended on it. “It's you, isn't it? I thought for a second you were going to be stuck in the past and time would fold in on itself or something stupidly catastrophic!”

“I'm here, I'm fine, it's all okay.” He holds you until you're finally ready to leave his arms.

“Did he...?”

“Yeah,” Barry says. “Those two had me cornered in the back. Past Me came back for me just in time. And then the funniest thing happened.”

“Tell me!” Instead, Barry shows you, by runs you over to the couch at superhuman speed, your legs already laying across him comfortably.

“Your speed is back! How...?”

“One of the many mysteries of the Speed Force,” he says. There's a knock at the door. Slightly hesitant, you get up to answer it. Opening the door reveals a pizza delivery guy.

“I didn't-”

“It's already been paid for,” says the guy. “And here, there's a letter with it. Have a good night.” You take the pizza and folded letter back to the couch and begin to read aloud:

_Dear (Y/N) and Barry,_

_If my calculations are correct, you will receive this letter the not long after The Flash ran you back through the speed force portal. First, let me assure you that I am alive and well._ _Following_ _my escape from_ _the warehouse, I was ushered into a white S.T.A.R. Labs van, where I met Cisco, Caitlin, and Doctor Wells. They seemed to act like they knew me, which was a nice feeling. They drove me to S.T.A.R. Labs where they made sure I was okay._

_After everything that happened, Barry filled me in on everything and about you both (wink wink) and even though it was confusing at first, these last few days are all starting to make sense._

_Barry_ _also_ _ officially _ _told me his secret afterwards (which I will not write down in case this letter falls into the wrong hands) and I was still mind-blown. We are now an item, him and I, so I guess it was fate! I would say to burn this letter after reading, but knowing myself all too well, I would love being in possession of my own Back to the Future-esque letter._

 _Oh, and as I write this, I've been informed I've been promoted at work! I'm moving up from movie review writing days (though I'll still continue as a hobby, I'm sure) and joining Iris as an investigative reporter... for a certain Red Streak! Sco_ _tt loved my piece I wrote about my abduction, and well, the rest is history. So try not to act too surprised_ _when you head into work_ _!_

 _S_ o _you two, I say farewell and wish you Godspeed. And thank you for bringing me closer to the man I love._ _In any_ _part of the timeline_ _;)_

_(Both of) Yours always,_

_(Y/N)_

“You love me?” Barry's voice in saying this is, naturally, the cutest thing you've ever heard. You scoot to be closer to him.

“The power of love is a curious thing.” He chuckles at the lyrical reference. “I guess that's something the time-space continuum can never change,” you ponder. “Yes, of course, I love you, Barry Allen. Speed or none. You're the one for me.”

“Good, because after all we've just been through together already, I've been dying to tell you _I_ love _you_.”

“Are we crazy or something? Is this too fast?” you ask him, hoping with everything inside you he says no. Instead, Barry kisses you hard enough to dissipate any possible worry.

“(Y/N), fast is my specialty.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope I ended this alright. It was a little tough to work out heheh. Thanks for reading guys! <3


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